KINDNESS AND WHY IT MATTERSwelcome to CREATING THRIVING in the age of disruption

Richard Tri Parton, Change & Resilience Consultant

WHY ‘CREATING THRIVING’?

➤ The pace of change is accelerating - the ‘age of disruption’

➤ We need another way

➤ And here’s what research in organisational & psychological science is showing: when we ‘thrive’ (able to be our very best selves) we are also our most adaptable, we perform at our best, and we are at our most resilient and happy

➤ Now all we need to do is get the message out there…

WHY WE NEED A ‘KINDNESS’ REVOLUTION

A look at the mega-trends:

➤ We are more stressed out & overwhelmed than ever

➤ 1 in 5 Australians will experience mental illness this year1

➤ Our business environments are becoming

➤ less predictable,

➤ more competitive,

➤ changing at accelerating rates

- well established wellbeing risk factors2

➤ ‘Kindess’ has the potential to be ‘balm’, ‘antidote’, and ’protective barrier’

1 - Source: ABS National Survey of Mental Health and Wellbeing 2007, Summary of Results (cat.no. 4326.0).2 - Australian government ‘Comcare’ unit, “An organisational approach to preventing psychological injury”, 2008

THE INDIVIDUAL ‘BENEFITS’ OF KINDNESS

➤ Kindness — Gratitude — and Self-Compassion: important drivers of happiness (Subjective wellbeing)

➤ builds resilience

➤ e.g. Lyubomirsky, Sheldon et al. (2005)2: ‘weekly kindness day’

➤ Virtuous cycle: Kindness & Gratitude — SWB — More kindness

➤ Compassion is key to ‘good’ vs ‘bad’ change1

1 - What Makes an Organizational Change Process Positive? , Karen Golden-Biddle and Jina Mao, in The Oxford Handbook of Positive Organizational Scholarship Edited by Gretchen M. Spreitzer and Kim S. Cameron 2 - Otake, K., Shimai, S., Tanaka-Matsumi, J., Otsui, K., & Fredrickson, B. L. (2006). Happy people become happier through kindness: A counting kindnesses intervention. Journal Of Happiness Studies.

SOME INTERESTING INDIVIDUAL INTERVENTIONS?

➤ Random acts of kindness

➤ Counting kindnesses

➤ Feeling connected exercise

➤ linked to kindness & belonging

➤ Awe walk

➤ Empathy, labelling — compassion

➤ self-compassion

➤ ‘Loving kindness’ meditation

e.g. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/kindness-life-lessons_560eeab2e4b0af3706e0d728

YES BUT WHAT ABOUT THE ‘BUSINESS PERSPECTIVE’?

STUDIES DEMONSTRATE THAT ‘KINDNESS’ INTERVENTIONS (AND OTHER POSITIVE PRACTICES) DO INDEED BOOST BUSINESS PERFORMANCE

➤ Externally: customer & stakeholder engagement ➤ Internally: Paying it forward & reputation rewarding ➤ Employee ‘kindness rates’ are a strong predictor of business effectiveness

Wayne E. and Bulkley, Nathaniel. Paying It Forward versus Rewarding Reputation:e.g. Mechanisms of Generalized Reciprocity. Organization Science, April 2014.Ramlall, S. J. (2008). Enhancing employee performance through positive organizational behavior. Journal of Applied Social Psychology

CREATING A CULTURE OF KINDNESS - BUSINESS INTERVENTIONS

Encourage reciprocity:

➤ Establishing a local culture

➤ Using technology

Heighten Gratitude:

➤ Creating systems where employees can express their gratitude for one another

➤ express gratitude to employees who help others

➤ Key points for leaders:

➤ foster social connections

➤ show empathy

➤ go out of your way to help

➤ encourage people to talk to you - especially about their problems

➤ Inspire kindness through: Reminders of connectedness, Putting a human face on suffering, Shared identity

CREATING A CULTURE OF KINDNESS - BUSINESS INTERVENTIONS

Encourage reciprocity:

➤ Establishing a local culture

➤ Using technology

Heighten Gratitude:

➤ Creating systems where employees can express their gratitude for one another

➤ express gratitude to employees who help others

➤ Key points for leaders:

➤ foster social connections

➤ show empathy

➤ go out of your way to help

➤ encourage people to talk to you - especially about their problems

➤ Inspire kindness through: Reminders of connectedness, Putting a human face on suffering, Shared identity

AND HOW RELEVANT IN TIMES OF CHANGE AND DISRUPTION!

SO WHY DO WE NEED A REVOLUTION OF KINDNESS? …THE RIPPLES

NAME ONE THING YOU COULD DO IN YOUR WORKPLACE

THANK YOU FOR YOUR ATTENTION

WE MEET EVERY MONTH AT THE WHEELER CENTRE IN MELBOURNE

FOR MORE INFORMATION PLEASE VISIT:

Our meet up page: http://www.meetup.com/thrivingmelbourne/

Our LinkedIn group: https://www.linkedin.com/groups/7022959

OR CONTACT ME, RICHARD PARTON, VIA:

facebook.com/nimblified/

au.linkedin.com/in/richardtriparton

@nimblified